Compact tractor disk and brush hog thoughts.

[bigboreblr]

Proud owner of a Kubota B2601 that I bought last year. I went with all landpride attachments - the 1048 Disc and the 1248 rotary cutter, also bought a 54 inch box blade and a spreader. Those land pride attachments all performed great for me and my purposes. I’m thrilled with the quality of both the tractor and the implements. View attachment 41719View attachment 41720View attachment 41722View attachment 41723View attachment 41724View attachment 41725

Noticed that trater ATV/UTV flip disc. Any comments on it?

 

[Nightvision]

I got some TItan forks for my tractor loader. I've just started using them, but they seem pretty good so far.

My dad also bought some forks to use and they may be Titan as well. Same color. They have held up well but we do not use them that much or beat them up on purpose.

 

[yoderjac]

My dad also bought some forks to use and they may be Titan as well. Same color. They have held up well but we do not use them that much or beat them up on purpose.

I don't expect to use mine often either, but when I need them, they can really save my back.

 

[Bassattackr]

My dad was looking at a new landpride cutter when someone recommended he look at one made by Titan. I think they are out of Tennessee. He has not been disappointed.

Have a Titan Med Duty. Excellent quality.

 

[yoderjac]

The only issue I've had so far is hookup. The fit is pretty tight. If I try to tilt the loader and pick it up, unlike the bucket that wants to role, the forks seem to want to slide. They are too heavy to move the forks to the loader. I ended up solving the problem by making a simple dolly. This lets me roll the forks to the loader for perfect alignment before I try to pick it up. It is the same concept I use for 3pt implement hookup.

 

[jsasker007]

I will give a thumbs up for flail mowers. I would have gone through a few rotary mowers by now if I abused them on the stuff the flail mower chews up into tiny pieces. They kinda of just bounce off of rocks or hidden logs and keep on going. I have one from frontier that's rated for 2 1/2' brush/small trees and works great. Rotary is a good cutter but just not as versatile in my opinion. I also use it to mow my food plots when needed.

 

[Foggy47]

I will give a thumbs up for flail mowers. I would have gone through a few rotary mowers by now if I abused them on the stuff the flail mower chews up into tiny pieces. They kinda of just bounce off of rocks or hidden logs and keep on going. I have one from frontier that's rated for 2 1/2' brush/small trees and works great. Rotary is a good cutter but just not as versatile in my opinion. I also use it to mow my food plots when needed.

I might add....the flail mower is far safer too. It does not throw material like rotary can.....and mulches the grass, brush (or small trees) and leaves a relatively uniform mulch over the mowed area. I also used mine on corn stalks with great results. I have a hydraulic side shift....which allows mowing close to buildings or under tress and along fence-lines and such. Seldom use a rotary cutter anymore.....but saving it for "rough work".

 

[jsasker007]

Side shift could come in handy. I still keep the loader low to the ground while I'm mowing to avoid running over fawns

 

[Foggy47]

Side shift could come in handy. I still keep the loader low to the ground while I'm mowing to avoid running over fawns

Generally I put-off mowing until as late as possible. Late June.....to avoid mowing fawns. I have never mowed one.....knock on wood. However I want to use my drill to plant a summer release blend "green" into 10 acres of the standing rye in early June.....and I have concerns about driving over fawns at that time. Not sure when I will roller crimp my rye this summer but I expect it will be ready by mid/late June or so and will have that same issue (after planting). A dense stand of rye is a great place for momma to hide her fawns.

In both situations I will leave my loader on the tractor....and put the 6 foot bucket close to the ground and curl the lead edge up. Likely ground speeds are only 3 MPH or so. Some advocate to run a wheeler ahead of your tractor to shush any fawns or nesting birds out of your plots. If I can get a friend to do that....that would be my current plan.

But.....I been thinking about using some scrap iron tube and scrap log chains I have....and dangling 3' sections spaced a foot apart..... from a bar mounted at the front of my loader (maybe on the tips of the pallet forks?). Not sure if that would work? Anyone try this? or see it done? Could be somewhat of a hassle to operate this way......and when drilling seed I usually got a lot going on.....so I dunno? I suppose it doesn't cost anything to try this.

Operating on 10 acres of dense standing rye 2x in June is allot of opportunity time to take out a fawn or some grouse.

Edit: Doing a google search for some info....and the best description of what I wrote above is called a "Flushing Bar".

Here is a pic of an offset flushing bar....probably used with a sickle bar mower back in the day.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

You guys got me reconsidering the rotary cutter vs flail mower option. The more even layer of cut thatch would be nice for no till.

The thing about flail mowers is it seems like they need to be at ground level and might not work to cut 10+ inches to nip weeds over the top of clover.

 

[yoderjac]

Each has its place. I know it may not be possible in all places, but the best way I've found to avoid fawns is to provide better fawning cover elsewhere in the plan. We have plots that are planted for summer and then again for fall and others that are perennial plots. I use WR/PTT/CC in my fall mix. So, it the spring, the WR becomes the early spring food followed by the CC. I cam mow the WR in April well before fawns drop. This releases the CC and makes the field unattractive for fawning. I then plant our summer mix in late May or early June. Our perennial clover plots look like weed fields all summer long unless you get down and look under the weeds. Except for the first spring after a fall plant with a WR nurse crop when I mow the WR the following spring each time needed to keep release the perennial clover, I never mow these in the spring. The summer weeds, many of which are quality food for deer, dominate during the summer but also help to shade the clover reducing its dormancy. I mow them once a year in the fall, when our fall rains become more frequent and nights cool down favoring the clover over summer weeds. The clover rebounds quickly and dominates the fields over the season and following spring.

I have never hit a fawn yet using this approach. That said, I realize that everyone has different limitations on time and technique depending on region and situation and not everyone can do this.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[jsasker007]

You guys got me reconsidering the rotary cutter vs flail mower option. The more even layer of cut thatch would be nice for no till.

The thing about flail mowers is it seems like they need to be at ground level and might not work to cut 10+ inches to nip weeds over the top of clover.

I think you will end up with less thatch and I use the flail to mow my clover back and mowing about 8" when I do that. I'm happy with it. When cutting brush it works well to get it close to ground level which helps save on tires where I've used a rotary for brush before and the stubble was taller than I wanted and did get a couple flat tires on my atv. That was a brush wolf on a skid steer.

 

[Foggy47]

^I suspend my flail Mower when clipping my clover with a flail mower. Does not seem to affect the performance. Not sure how many others do this....but I see no need to rest it on the rear roller. I'd say that roller is more to prevent your flails from ground contact. The Flails will still come the same distance between the flail end and the roller....thus not much difference in operation IMO. If you do buy a flail....consider the side shift models. I have a Woodmax and they. are one of the better low cost options when I did my research. Not sure if they have some available....but were a good company to work with when I bought mine. I did buy a set of extra belts and some replacement flails. I did not get those hammers.....and have not seen a need for them at this point. The slicers work fine for me.

EDIT: What I like about the side shift is....when mowing trails I can keep the cab (and thus the lights, hoses, and such) distanced away from the tree limbs where they might snag and cause damage. Also nice around buildings.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Not sure of the price your paying for that rotary cutter. I own a rotary cutter too.....but almost never use it anymore. I likely should sell it....but it does not owe me anything.....and it seems to go up in value as machinery costs keep rising. I now almost exclusively use my Woodmaxx flail mower for those chores. It does such a superior job in almost every situation. I do have a side shift model and it allows me to get near buildings and trees along the trails. With a fllail mower you really dont need a brush hog or a finish mower....you have it all covered....IMO.

Not sure some of these products are available in these times....so there is always that.

@Foggy47, what size woodmaxx do you use on your L3560? The 62H seems like a good option but they only have the 78 in stock. Makes me wonder if the L3560 would have enough power to run the 78.

 

[Foggy47]

@Foggy47, what size woodmaxx do you use on your L3560? The 62H seems like a good option but they only have the 78 in stock. Makes me wonder if the L3560 would have enough power to run the 78.

I am trying to remember what I bought. I'm in AZ and dont get back to MN until May......or I'd take a look. I think I went with the 78. Call them and talk about the size for the 3560. I may have posted it somewhere else.....and I will look now and try to post later tonight. The thing with a flail mower is......you can always slow down if you got heavy cover and speed up when it's light.

I'll get back to you soon. I'm pretty happy with the size I own......I just wish I had a memory. Grin;

 

[Foggy47]

I am trying to remember what I bought. I'm in AZ and dont get back to MN until May......or I'd take a look. I think I went with the 78. Call them and talk about the size for the 3560. I may have posted it somewhere else.....and I will look now and try to post later tonight. The thing with a flail mower is......you can always slow down if you got heavy cover and speed up when it's light.

I'll get back to you soon. I'm pretty happy with the size I own......I just wish I had a memory. Grin;

OK....I looked it up on another site I belong to and wrote about my experience there. It is the 78h (hydraulic side shift) with the regular (slicer) bliades. I would buy the same unit if I were to buy again. Lots of information on Tractor By Net on the Woodmaxx flails....and on my other deer habitat site.

 

[Foggy47]

OK....I looked it up on another site I belong to and wrote about my experience there. It is the 78h (hydraulic side shift) with the regular (slicer) bliades. I would buy the same unit if I were to buy again. Lots of information on Tractor By Net on the Woodmaxx flails....and on my other deer habitat site.

Heres a pic. I paid $1950 fob my place in mn. I bet they went up?

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Thanks @Foggy47 do you have the hammers or the Y cutters? I feel like the finer cuttings with y blades seem less enticing for no tilling after but I really don’t know.

Edit: looks like Y blades in your picture.

 

[Foggy47]

Thanks @Foggy47 do you have the hammers or the Y cutters? I feel like the finer cuttings with y blades seem less enticing for no tilling after but I really don’t know.

Edit: looks like Y blades in your picture.

I got the Y blades.....and I am happy with them. I think for my purposes I would buy them again. I have chopped 3 acres of heavy corn stalks and 3" heavy saplings, and mowed my clover, trails and yard. Does a good job in all cases. I think I posted $1950 but I think the real price was $2950 in 2020.

 

[Foggy47]

^ About the only problem I had was that one of the bolts near the belts was not secure.....and it loosened up over time and caused a belt to get trashed. I put on my 3 spare belts and tightened all up. I am saving the pair of belts I have left for emergency mowing. (I think you should replace all belts when one goes bad....but think I could limp along on two belts just fine).